About the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is an online marketplace for government organizations in India to buy and sell goods and services. It provides transparency, efficiency, and reduced corruption in government procurement and hiring. Both buyers and sellers can register on the portal, which offers a variety of goods and services, direct purchase up to INR 25,000, L1 purchase for amounts between INR 25,000 and 500,000, and a user-friendly interface for searching and purchasing products. The GeM portal has 11 bank pool accounts and an integrated payment system, as well as a grievance system and delivery options.
GeM Portal History
GeM (Government e-Marketplace) is an online marketplace for government procurement in India. It was launched in August 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The portal was developed in a record time of 5 months. As of August 31st, 2021, the portal had over 25.98 Lakh merchants and service providers, with more than 16,409 product categories and almost 52 million individual goods. The main objectives of GeM are to reduce corruption and improve transparency and efficiency in government procurement and hiring processes.
Objectives
The objectives of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal can be summarized as follows:
- To create a transparent, efficient, and reliable procurement system for government agencies in India.
- To simplify the procurement process and reduce the time and effort required for procurement of goods and services.
- To increase the participation of MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, and startups in government procurement.
- To promote competition and encourage innovation in government procurement.
- To increase the use of digital and cashless transactions in government procurement.
- To improve the efficiency of the procurement process and reduce corruption and inefficiency in government procurement.
- To ensure that procurement is conducted in a fair and transparent manner, with all suppliers being treated equally and given an equal opportunity to participate in procurement processes.
Full Overview Of Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Portal
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Name of Scheme | Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal |
| Announcement | Government of India |
| Objectives | Create a seamless, paperless, and transparent procurement platform for government agencies and departments. |
| Eligibility Criteria | Buyers: Government agencies, departments, and public sector undertakings; Sellers: Indian entities that meet the necessary financial and technical criteria. |
| Benefits | For Buyers: Wide range of products and services, increased transparency, reduction in procurement time and cost; For Sellers: Access to a larger market, increased opportunities for business, faster payments. |
| Required Documents | Buyers: Legal documents to prove their status; Sellers: PAN card, GST registration, bank account details, digital signature certificate. |
| How to Apply | https://gem.gov.in/ |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for registering on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal are as follows:
Buyers
- Only Central and State Government departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), autonomous institutions and local bodies are eligible to register as buyers on the GeM portal.
- The buyer must have a valid PAN card and GSTIN.
- The buyer must have a valid digital signature certificate (DSC) for signing transactions on the portal.
- The buyer must have a valid bank account for making payments on the portal.
Sellers
- The seller must be a registered business entity in India.
- The seller must have a valid PAN card and GSTIN.
- The seller must have a valid digital signature certificate (DSC) for signing transactions on the portal.
- The seller must have a valid bank account for receiving payments on the portal.
- The seller must have a minimum of one year of business experience and a minimum turnover of Rs. 10 lakhs.
- The seller must have a good track record of supplying goods and services to various government and private organizations.
Benefits
The benefits of using the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal for buyers and sellers are:
For Buyers
- Access to a rich listing of products and services for individual categories of goods and services
- Search, compare, select, and buy facility
- Transparent and easy buying
- Continuous vendor rating system
- User-friendly dashboard for buying and monitoring supplies and payments
- Easy return policy
For Sellers
- Direct access to all government departments
- One-stop-shop for marketing with minimal efforts
- One-stop-shop for bids/reverse auctions on products/services
- New product suggestion facility available to sellers
- Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions
- Seller-friendly dashboard for selling and monitoring of supplies and payments
- Consistent and uniform purchase procedures
Required Documents
The following are the common documents required to be uploaded on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal by both buyers and sellers:
- PAN (Permanent Account Number)
- GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Identification Number)
- Bank Account Details
- Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)
- Company Incorporation Certificate (for sellers)
- Authorized Signatory Details
- Product Catalogues
- Tax Clearance Certificate (for sellers)
- Vendor Empanelment Letter (for sellers)
- Other relevant documents depend on the category of goods or services offered.
How to Apply For Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
process of registering as a seller on the GeM portal
- Go to the GeM portal at gem.gov.in
- Click on “Register” on the top right corner of the homepage
- Enter your details, including name, email address, and mobile number, and create a password
- Complete the seller registration form, including uploading the required documents
- Wait for the GeM team to verify your details and approve your registration
- Once approved, you can start selling on the GeM portal.
process of registering as a Buyer on the GeM portal
- Visit the GeM portal: The first step is to visit the GeM portal, which can be accessed at gem.gov.in.
- Click on “Sign Up”: On the home page of the GeM portal, click on the “Sign Up” button located in the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select “Buyer”: On the registration page, select “Buyer” as your user type.
- Enter your details: Fill in the required details, such as your name, email address, phone number, and other relevant information.
- Provide your PAN details: You will need to provide your PAN details as a mandatory requirement for registering as a buyer on the GeM portal.
- Enter your organization details: You will also need to enter the details of your organization, such as the name, type, and address.
- Upload documents: You will need to upload certain documents such as a scanned copy of the organization’s PAN card, GST registration certificate, and other relevant documents.
- Verification: Once you have completed the registration process and submitted the required documents, your application will be verified by the GeM authorities. This may take some time, and you will be notified via email once your account is activated.
process of registering as a seller on the GeM portal
- Select “Seller”: On the registration page, select “seller” as your user type.
- Enter your details: Fill in the required details, such as your name, email address, phone number, and other relevant information.
- Provide your PAN details: You will need to provide your PAN details as a mandatory requirement for registering as a buyer on the GeM portal.
- Enter your organization details: You will also need to enter the details of your organization, such as the name, type, and address.
- Upload documents: You will need to upload certain documents such as a scanned copy of the organization’s PAN card, GST registration certificate, and other relevant documents.
- Verification: Once you have completed the registration process and submitted the required documents, your application will be verified by the GeM authorities. This may take some time, and you will be notified via email once your account is activated.
- Login: Once your account is activated, you can log in to the GeM portal using your credentials and start browsing and purchasing products and services offered by registered sellers and buyers.